Barbour: Christie was right to praise Obama

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he doesn’t blame New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for publicly praising President Barack Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

“The relationship between the president – whether it’s President Obama or President Romney -- has just begun,” Barbour said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It’s going to go on for years and years and years. The easy stuff is what we’re dealing with now.”

Barbour, whose state was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when he was governor, said public officials like Christie can expect plenty of more “complicated” and “tough” decisions to come as they continue to work with the federal government to rebuild areas left broken by Sandy.

“Christie would have been a fool to poke his finger in Obama’s eye,” Barbour said. “When they’re going to be your partner for years, you praise in public and criticize in private.”